Posted: Jun 21, 2021

Cross Country Announces Recruiting Class

Northwood Cross Country Head Coach, Jeremy Wilk, has announced these 10 student-athletes will join the program starting in the 2021-22 school year. The class consists of nine high school graduates and one transfer.

Below are profiles of the 10 commits as well as comments from Coach Wilk:

	Preston Earl - Middle Distance (Sterling Heights, Mich./De La Salle HS) 2020-21 MHSAA state qualifier in both cross country and track. Part of De La Salle's 2021 regional champion 4x800m relay team. Wilk: "Preston showed outstanding range in high school, qualifying to the state meet in the 4x800, 800 and 4x400 during track, as well as individually in cross country. We believe Preston can help us continue to build upon our middle distance strength, as well as make an impact during cross country."
	*Dillan Haviland- Middle Distance* *(St. Johns, Mich./Lansing Community College)* While at LCC, claimed a first place finish at both the 2018 and 2019 NJCAA cross country regionals. Qualified for the NJCAA national championships in the 1500m in 2019. Wilk: "Dillan has the ability to be an immediate contributor during both cross country and track. He's shown range from the 800 all the way up to 8k in cross country. We're excited to see how much he can help us in both facets of the sport."
	Josh Jones - Distance/Middle Distance (Harrison, Mich./Harrison HS) 2021 MHSAA all-state in the 1600m and 800m. Wilk: "Josh is the definition of a late bloomer. He worked his tail off during the winter to put himself in the position to be recruited to run at the next level. He was all-state in the 1600 and 800, despite never qualifying to the state meet in cross country. We look forward to working with Josh and seeing his continued progress."
	Logan Lundgren - Distance (Woodhaven, Mich./Woodhaven HS) 2020 MHSAA state qualifier in cross country. Wilk: "Logan is another one who turned it up a notch once he hit track season. He does a great job of competing to the level of his competition, winning many of his races this spring. He ran PR's across every event this year, and we are excited to see how he develops at the next level."
	*Dylan Menge - Middle Distance* *(Brownstown, Mich./Woodhaven HS)* Wilk: "Dylan was robbed of his junior and senior outdoor track seasons due to COVID-19 (2020) and injuries (2021). Despite not being able to fully show what he's capable of, we're excited to see what Dylan can do when healthy and training with our strong stable of middle-distance runners."
	Connor Murphy - Distance/Middle Distance (Marion, Mich./McBain HS) 2020 MHSAA all-state in cross country. Part of McBain's 2021 regional champion 4x800m team. Wilk: "Connor comes from a multi-sport background, playing for the highly-ranked McBain HS basketball team during the winter. We believe that once Connor focuses on training for running year-round, he has a very bright future in the sport."
	Lucas Oberle - Distance (Lapeer, Mich./Goodrich HS) MHSAA cross country state qualifier in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Wilk: "Lucas has shown promise, qualifying for the state XC meet three years running. He seems very coachable and excited to take that next step, so we look forward to seeing how things go for him this fall."
	Joseph Shaya - Distance (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Brother Rice HS) 2019 regional champion in the 1600m. 2018 MHSAA state qualifier in cross country. Wilk: "Joseph has shown the ability to be a high level high school runner, qualifying for the state meet in both cross country and in the 1600 in track. Joseph's enthusiasm for the sport in contagious, and we can't want to have him join our squad this fall."
	Grace Weburg - Distance (Ithaca, Mich./Ithaca HS) 2020 MHSAA all-state in cross county and 2021 all-state in the 4x800m relay. Part of Ithaca's 2020 state runner-up cross country team. Wilk: "Grace has accomplished a lot during her short running career. Despite not running until her sophomore year, she earned all-state honors in cross country and track and field. Coming from a championship culture at Ithaca, we believe she will bring a great mindset and work ethic to help take our team to the next level."
	Sarah Zehr - Distance (St. Johns, Mich./St. Johns HS) MHSAA cross country state qualifier in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Part of St. John's 2019 regional champion 4x800m team. Wilk: "Sarah has shown great range and consistent improvement during her time at St. Johns, getting better every year both in terms of personal best times, as well as placement in competition. Sarah has shown to be a great competitor, winning ten races this spring. We can't wait to have Sarah help our squad this fall."